I am currently conducting a needs assessment of our community in Stevens Point, WI for expanded environmental educational programming at a natural area called Schmeeckle Reserve. The reserve is owned and operated by the University of WI- Stevens Point, but it is open to the public and very much a community center as far as recreation, use of our meeting room, etc. We currently offer naturalist programs that are presented to the public as a part of our undergraduate capstone course, but are interesting in expanding programming if the need is there. I am wondering if you have experience or know of locations that have done similar types of assessment (i.e. assessing if there is a need for a specific program or concept)?
Your website has been tremendously helpful, and I would appreciate any resources that the workgroup might think of. Thank you!
Thank you for writing us at the Community Tool Box with your important question, and please excuse our delay in getting back to you. Though we are not experts in environmental programming, we certainly do understand your interest in finding out more about potential needs or desires for expansion.
How can this best be determined? You may not have the resources to do a random-sample survey of Stevens Point area residents, but you can make your best approximations with the resources you do have. This might include surveying your current and visitors (perhaps with some incentive for response); identifying your most likely potential visitors (e.g., students at all levels, those already belonging to local organizations [can you get mailing lists from these organizations?]; surveying those visitors; publicizing your interests in local print and electronic media; holding an environmental event for the community, and/or piggybacking onto an existing one, and including a survey with it.
In other words, spread your net as widely as you can, and include all potential stakeholders. Chances are you are doing some of these things already, but there may be other options not yet fully developed. Another thing you can do in your needs assessment is to ask those responding about their potential interest in getting involved in actual program development – i.e., your assessment can do double duty in helping to recruit volunteers.
You may also benefit from reviewing several of the instructional Sections in the Tool Box found in Chapter 3, “Assessing Community Needs and Resources.”
We hope these comments may be helpful to you. Thank you again for writing to us, and all best wishes for continued success in your work.